Do we need more reds and yellows?

The city’s traffic division was directed by city council Monday to gather information for a pilot project involving flashing red and yellow lights at selected intersections in the city.

The lights at the intersections in question currently flash through the usual green-yellow-red cycle throughout the night, but under the pilot project, would flash just yellow between 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. (east and westbound), and just flash red for vehicles heading north and south in those same hours. 

The pilot project lights would flash between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. at the intersections of Wellington Street West and Lyons Avenue, Lyons Avenue and Patrick Street, Korah Road and Wallace Terrace and Wallace Terrace and Goulais Avenue.

There would be flashing yellow lights for east and westbound traffic on Wallace Terrace, Lyons Avenue and Wellington Street West, with the flashing red lights for all intersecting streets.

Council would like the flashing light pilot project carried out over a 24-month period, at a few intersections during non-peak, overnight hours, before deciding if it is feasible to add more flashing lights at more intersections throughout the city.

The request for information from the traffic division stems from a public survey completed by nearly 1,100 residents, contained within the Transportation Master Plan, which showed a desire from residents to have flashing red and yellow lights at certain intersections.

Along with the cost of installing the lights, the traffic division is also being asked to determine if the volume of traffic at those intersections between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. would be below the provincial level to allow for flashing red lights (200 vehicles per hour), what the level of pedestrian traffic would be at those intersections in those hours, along with tallying up the number of accidents at those intersections over a 24-month period.